In power energy distribution networks, switchgear is considered critical equipment. This is because the act of monitoring the operation and condition of switchgear, as well as performing the required corrective maintenance on any potentially problematic equipment, is critical. A single event may harm thousands of customers over time and pose a significant risk to operational staff. Many considerations must be put in place before using outages to switch down the system since they may raise maintenance costs and disrupt the power supply to users. As a result, proper interpretation of switchgear status evaluations is critical for the early identification of possible faults. Existing ultrasound condition-based monitoring (CBM) diagnostic testing techniques require the tester to manually interpret test data. This study aims to review the status of the recent development of CBM techniques with faults in switchgear. The current trend in electrification will be toward the safety and sustainability of power grid assets, which involves an evaluation of the electrical systems’ and components’ health and grids for medium-voltage distribution. This work provides a current state-of-the-art evaluation of deep learning (DL)-based smart diagnostics that were used to identify partial discharges and localize them. DL techniques are discussed and categorized, with special attention given to those sophisticated in the last five years. The key features of each method, such as fundamental approach and accuracy, are outlined and compared in depth. The benefits and drawbacks of various DL algorithms are also examined. The technological constraints that hinder sophisticated PD diagnostics from being implemented in companies are also recognized. Lastly, various remedies are suggested, as well as future research prospects.

Condition-based monitoring (CBM) has emerged as a critical instrument for lowering the cost of unplanned operations while also improving the efficacy, execution, and dependability of tools. Thermal abnormalities can be thoroughly examined using thermography for condition monitoring. Thanks to the advent of high-resolution infrared cameras, researchers are paying more attention to thermography as a non-contact approach for monitoring the temperature rise of objects and as a technique in great experiments to analyze processes thermally. It also allows for the early identification of weaknesses and failures in equipment while it is in use, decreasing system downtime, catastrophic failure, and maintenance expenses. In many applications, the usage of IRT as a condition monitoring approach has steadily increased during the previous three decades. Infrared cameras are steadily finding use in research and development, in addition to their routine use in condition monitoring and preventative maintenance. This study focuses on infrared crucial thermographic theoretical stages, experimental methodologies, relative and absolute temperature requirements, and infrared essential thermographic theoretical processes for electrical and electronics energy applications. Furthermore, this article addresses the major concerns and obstacles and makes some specific recommendations for future development. With developments in artificial intelligence, particularly computer fiction, depending on the present deep learning algorithm, IRT can boost CBM analysis.

Switchgear is a very important component in a power distribution line. Failure in a switchgear can lead to catastrophic danger and losses. In this research, a fault detection system is proposed with the implementation of Extreme Learning Machine (ELM). This algorithm is capable to identify faults in a switchgear by analyzing the sound wave generated. Experiments are carried out to investigate the performance of the developed algorithm in identifying Corona faults in switchgears. The performances are analyzed in time and frequency domains, respectively. In time domain analysis, the results show 90.63%, 87.5%, and 87.5% of success rates in differentiating the Corona and non-Corona cases in training, validation and testing phases respectively. In frequency domain analysis, the results show 89.84%, 83.33%, and 87.5% success rates in training, validation and testing phases respectively. It can thus be concluded that the developed algorithm performed well in identifying Corona faults in switchgears.

The damaging effects of corona faults have made them a major concern in metal-clad switchgear, requiring extreme caution during operation. Corona faults are also the primary cause of flashovers in medium-voltage metal-clad electrical equipment. The root cause of this issue is an electrical breakdown of the air due to electrical stress and poor air quality within the switchgear. Without proper preventative measures, a flashover can occur, resulting in serious harm to workers and equipment. As a result, detecting corona faults in switchgear and preventing electrical stress buildup in switches is critical. Recent years have seen the successful use of Deep Learning (DL) applications for corona and non-corona detection, owing to their autonomous feature learning capability. This paper systematically analyzes three deep learning techniques, namely 1D-CNN, LSTM, and 1D-CNN-LSTM hybrid models, to identify the most effective model for detecting corona faults. The hybrid 1D-CNN-LSTM model is deemed the best due to its high accuracy in both the time and frequency domains. This model analyzes the sound waves generated in switchgear to detect faults. The study examines model performance in both the time and frequency domains. In the time domain analysis (TDA), 1D-CNN achieved success rates of 98%, 98.4%, and 93.9%, while LSTM obtained success rates of 97.3%, 98.4%, and 92.4%. The most suitable model, the 1D-CNN-LSTM, achieved success rates of 99.3%, 98.4%, and 98.4% in differentiating corona and non-corona cases during training, validation, and testing. In the frequency domain analysis (FDA), 1D-CNN achieved success rates of 100%, 95.8%, and 95.8%, while LSTM obtained success rates of 100%, 100%, and 100%. The 1D-CNN-LSTM model achieved a 100%, 100%, and 100% success rate during training, validation, and testing. Hence, the developed algorithms achieved high performance in identifying corona faults in switchgear, particularly the 1D-CNN-LSTM model due to its accuracy in detecting corona faults in both the time and frequency domains.

Currently, the existing condition-based maintenance (CBM) diagnostic test practices for ultrasound require the tester to interpret test results manually. Different testers may give different opinions or interpretations of the detected ultrasound. It leads to wrong interpretation due to depending on tester experience. Furthermore, there is no commercially available product to standardize the interpretation of the ultrasound data. Therefore, the objective is the correct interpretation of an ultrasound, which is one of the CBM methods for medium switchgears, by using an artificial neural network (ANN), to give more accurate results when assessing their condition. Information and test results from various switchgears were gathered in order to develop the classification and severity of the corona, surface discharge, and arcing inside of the switchgear. The ultrasound data were segregated based on their defects found during maintenance. In total, 314 cases of normal, 160 cases of the corona, 149 cases of tracking, and 203 cases of arcing were collected. Noise from ultrasound data was removed before uploading it as a training process to the ANN engine, which used the extreme learning machine (ELM) model. The developed AI-based switchgear faults classification system was designed and incorporated with the feature of scalability and can be tested and replicated for other switchgear conditions. A customized graphical user interface (GUI), Ultrasound Analyzer System (UAS), was also developed, to enable users to obtain the switchgear condition or classification output via a graphical interface screen. Hence, accurate decision-making based on this analysis can be made to prioritize the urgency for the remedial works.